Containers having flap hold-down means



March 5, 1957 E. L. SHARTS CONTAINERS HAVING FLAP HOLD-DOWN MEANS Filed June 15, 1956 United States PatentOifice I 2,783,933 Patented Mar. Y 5, 1 957 CONTAINERS HAVING FLAP HOLD-DOWN MEANS Earl L. Sharts, Yakima, Wash., assignor to The Eddy Paper Corporation, a corporation of Illinois Application June 15, 1956, Serial No. 591,582

1 Claim. (Cl. 229-37) This invention relates to improvements in containers having flap hold-down means.

In the process of filling the conventional shippingcontainer with merchandise, the top flaps are usually in the way. This is particularly objectionable when hand-filling is being carried out. Patent No. 2,718,348 discloses a carton wherein bridging connections are left between certain of the top flaps so that the flaps may be held down while the carton is being filled. The arrangement shown in this patent is, however, quite objectionable in that it is necessary to first take the knocked-down blank and apply pressure at the opposed fold lines to open up the blank into rectangular form, and it is then necessary to re-collapse the container on the other pair of corner score lines in order to bring the bridging members to positions intermediate the width of the knockeddown blank so that the top fiaps can be folded down into parallelism with the main panels. Thus, an extra manual operation is necessary for each box which greatly increases the handling costs.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved container having flaps with hold-down means wherein the top flaps may be folded down into parallelism with the body panels while the knocked-down container is in original received condition, it being unnecessary to first reversely fold the knocked-down blank.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a container having flaps with hold-down means, and having a glue flap or connecting flap at one end of the blank, wherein said connecting flap is extended at the top of the container so that as to be alongside the end edge of an adjacent closure flap, the fold line between said connecting flap extension and closure flap being only partially cut to leave a bridging connection, and there being a similar diametrically opposed bridging connection when the blank is opened.

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction as above described, wherein the bridging connections are preferably located inwardly of the free edges of the flaps as to facilitate grasping of the flap corners when it is desired to break the said bridging connections before closing the box.

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction wherein the bridging connections may be additionally weakened by perforations or the like to facilitate the manual breaking thereof.

Other objects of the invention are to provide an improved container having flaps with hold-down means which is inexpensive to manufacture, which is simple to handle, which effectively holds the flaps down during filling, and which is relatively easy to close.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improved container having flaps with hold-down means, and all of its parts and combinations, as set forth in the claim, and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawing, illustrating two complete embodiments of the invention, in which the same reference numerals designate the same parts in all of the views: I

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a blank embodying the improved features;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the blank of Fig. '1 after the ends have been secured together, the blank being in knocked-down shipping condition;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing how the top closure flaps of the blank of Fig. 2 can be folded down before the blank is opened out;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a container with the flaps in held-down condition ready for filling; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of a blank like that of Fig. 1, but showing a modification.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, Fig. 1 shows a blank for forming a more or less standard slotted container. The blank includes first, second, third and fourth main body panels 10, 11, 12 and 13 respectively. The panels 10 and 11 are foldable relative to one another on a corner line of scoring 14, the panels 11 and 12 are foldable relative to one another on a line of scoring 15, and the panels 13 :are foldable relative to one another on a line of scoring 16. Bottom closure flaps 17, 18, 19 and 20 are foldably connected to the lower edges of the panels 10, 11, 12 and 13 respectively, on horizontal score lines 21, 22, 23 and 24. First, second, third and fourth top closure flaps 25, 26, 27 and 28 respectively are foldably connected to the upper edges of the panels 10, 11, 12 and 13 respectively, on top horizontal score lines 29, 30, 31 and 32.

Connected to the endmost panel- 13 and foldable on a corner score line 33 is a glue flap or connecting flap 34 to be used in forming the manufacturers joint. In customary procedure the glue flap terminates at the score lines 32 and 24. It is a novel feature of the present invention, however, to have the upper end of the glue flap extended a substantial distance, preferably the full length of the closure flap 28, as shown by the extension 35. The lower end of the glue flap 34 may be similarly extended as at 36 but this latter extension is unimportant as far as the present invention is concerned. During slotting of the blank the original connected edges of the flaps 26 and 27 are only p-artially'separated by slots 37 and 38, leaving a bridging connection 39, and the original connection between the glue flap extension 35 and the flap 28 is only partially separated by the slots 40 and 41, leaving a bridging connection 42.

In addition to being scored in alinement with the slots 40 and 41, the bridging connection 42 may be weakened by any suitable means as by a line of perforations 43. Also, in addition to being scored in alinement with the slots 37-38, the bridging connection 39 may be weakened by any suitable means such as perforations 44. This weakening, while facilitating the breaking of the bridges after the container has been filled, is not essential, but is a convenience when heavy stock is used.

The blank of Fig. 1 is partially assembled for shipment to the user in the knocked-down form of Fig. 2 by folding the blank of Fig. 1 on the score lines 14 and 16 to bring the free edges of the panel 10 and flaps 17 and 25 into superimposed position on the connecting flap 34 and its extensions 35 and 36. In the construction illustrated, the end edge of the flap 25 is glued to the connecting flap extension 35 as indicated at 45, the end edge of the flap. 17 is glued to the extension 36, and the free edge of the panel 10 is glued to the connecting flap 34. If desired, stitching may be used in lieu of the gluing. By thus providing an extension 35 on the connecting flap 34, it has been made possible to locate a bridging connection, such as the connection 43, at the corner of the blank where the manufacturer's joint is located.

Inasmuch as the manufacturers joint is always intermediate the edges of the knocked-down'container as in Fig. 2, it is merely necessary for the user to take the blank in the form which it comes (the. form of Fig. 2), bend the fiaps'down into parallelism with the body panels according to the procedure illustrated in Fig. 3, and then open up the carton to the assembled form of. Fig. 4, where the bridging connections 43 and 44 serve to hold the flaps 25 to 28 down, in an out of the Way position while the box is being filled.

In the hold-down construction of the prior art, heretofore referred to, it is necessary to first reversely fold the knocked-down blank before the procedures of Figs. 3 and 4 can be carried out. This is an extra and time consuming step which must be perfumed manually.

After the boxes have been filled it is merely necessary to grasp the lower flap corners, such as the corners 47 and 48, and pull upwardly on them until the bridge, such as the bridge of Fig. 4, is broken. Where there are lines of weakening, such as the lines 43, this breaking is facilitated. I

By having the bridges locatedintermediate the length of the flaps and inwardly of the 'free edges thereof, it is much easier to grasp the corners 47 and 48. Furthermore,

any short slotting segments may be used for the slots 37 and 40 without worrying about the exact length, as the exact distance of the bridges from the horizontal fold lines is unimportant. However, it is also practical, but somewhat more troublesome, to manufacture the container with the bridging connections 42' and 49' located adjacent the edges of the flaps, if desired, as in Fig. 5. In this fragmentary view the same reference numerals as those enemas I 7 Various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the'inven-tion, and all of such changes are contemplated, as may come within the scope of the claim.

What I claim is:

A knocked-down carton having foldably connected fist, second, third and fourth main body panels; bottom closure means fold-ably connected to the lower edges of said main body panels; first, second, third and fourth top closure flaps foldably connected on alined score lines to the upper edges of said first, second, third and fourth main body panels respectively; a connecting fiap integral with and foldable from an edge of said fourth body panel and secured to an overlapping portion of said first body panel intermediate the width of the knocked-down carton to form the manufacturers joint; said connecting flap having an extension extending beyond the alined score lines for the top closure flaps and along the adjacent edge of the tenth top closure flap, said extension being secured used in Fig. 1 are employed for corresponding parts, ex- 7 cept that prime marks have been added.

From the above it is apparent that "a container havin a hold-down flap feature has been provided which may be prepared for hand filling with a minimum of effort, the box being so constructed that the bridging connections can be easily broken when it is desired to close the box.

to an overlapping portion of said first top closure flap; a breakable bridging connection between said extension and said fourth top closure flap, there being a slot between said bridging connection and the score line for said flap; and a breakable bridging connection between said second and third top closure flaps whereby the top closure flaps may be folded down into parallelism with the main body panels while the box is in its original knocked-down condition to be held in said position by the bridging connections when the box is opened out for filling, there being a slot between said last-mentioned bridging connectionand the score lines for said closure flaps.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,485,234 Graf Oct. 18, 1949 2,523,488 Williamson Sept. 26, 1950 2,718,348 Montfort Sept. 20, 1955 

